National Drama League (NDL)

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Within the next 48 hours, there will be a new champion in the NFL.

While there have been many storylines during Super Bowl Week, including which sport Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray will play, baseball or football, there is one sport which is producing too much drama.

You guessed it, the NBA.

When I lived in Metro Detroit, it was great covering the Pistons during the "Bad Boys Era" championship run.

They played good old fashioned Blue Collar Basketball, led by Coach Chuck Daly, who handled his locker-room masterfully.

Nowadays, I really struggle to find motivation to go to NBA Games.

When the Pistons played The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic in the playoffs during the early part of the decade, you never heard of players making public trade demands or networking with others to try to form super teams.

Hearing Anthony Davis attempt to force his way out of New Orleans, and now Boston's Kyrie Irving potentially seeking an exit strategy is a bunch of nonsense.

Then again, it was Irving who demanded to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lebron James to lead his own team and hasn't won anything on his own with Boston.

These players are so darn stupid that once upon a time the NBA Finals used to be played in Tape Delay at 11:30 pm ET following the local news on CBS.

The league was practically broke!

When Magic Johnson and Larry Bird joined the NBA in the fall of 1979, this leagues' fortunes began heading in a positive direction.

After Johnson and Bird, the emergence of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing began to make the league more interesting when you blend them with holdovers Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Julius Erving.

Former Commissioner David Stern did a tremendous job adding a salary cap and striving for competitive balance. He was a genius with marketing the league, leading it to a billion dollar industry.

The reality of today's NBA can be broken down in the following ways.

1. It's become a jump shooters, three point shooting league with the rules designed to de-emphasize physical play, holding and hand checking. If I want to watch a bunch of overpaid millennials take jump shots, I would go to the community basketball courts and do it myself.

I have no problem with the NBA All-Star Game being an offensive showcase because it's always been that way.

There is no question the league has the best athletes of the four major sports.

But to emphasize offense when in reality defense really wins championships goes beyond my yesteryear thinking.

2. There are a lot of players that I couldn't stomach in the league. Former Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen was at the top until LeBron James overtook him.

First of all, James had to leave Cleveland to piggyback with Dwayne Wade to win a pair of titles with the Heat.

His "The Decision" Show was the worst piece of PR I've ever seen!

To compound that, he gets on a stage with Wade and Chris Bosh to talk about how many titles they would win estimating way more than the two they won.

The trio already had a bullseye on them.

I think James' biggest accomplishment was ending Cleveland's half century title drought and winning one for the Cavaliers.

The only negative about this, is it came with Tyron Lue as the coach, not David Blatt, who was run out of town by James, despite taking the team to an NBA Finals.

Blatt was a defensive minded coach and James didn't like it. Blatt has been a legendary coach overseas.

Now I hear James is having issues with Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton.

If LeBron has issues with Walton then he should be a players coach like Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell was. Then he has himself to blame if things go wrong. Don't hold your breath on James being a head coach.

If Walton were to get terminated, he'd get hired with the snap of a finger and his phone would be ringing off the hook.

Could James have played in the good old days where if you drive the lane you get leveled?

I'd say he would be an excellent player because he's such a great physical specimen.

But he would take a beating and would really need to recharge at the end of the season because of the pounding he would take.

Although James has three NBA Titles and has made numerous finals appearances, his legacy in the world of social media goes beyond his accomplishments on and off the floor.

While I respect his charitable work, I don't give a damn about his social or political views! His responsibility is to play basketball.

There is no question he's done well with his endorsement opportunities and in preparing for his post basketball career.

3. I'm glad that the NBA put a stop on players missing games to rest on back to back nights which deprived fans for seeing a superstar on a given day. The problem became so bad that the players were missing nationally televised games.

4. A coaches job description is to coach and not talk about politics and social issues. If you want to do this then run for political office when you're done coaching. Other coaches and athletes have had great careers outside of sports.

I could careless about what Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and Stan Van Gundy have to say!

What the NBA needs are more stories like the one that is developing at the All-Star Game on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, NC.

Miami Heat Guard Dwyane Wade and Dallas Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki were added to the team as "special team roster additions."

Both are playing in their final seasons and it's an opportunity to pay tribute to their careers.

This is what the league needs!

It doesn't need, where will the most selfish non defensive player Carmelo Anthony land?

Who cares about where these kids fathers want there kids to play or where they won't play.

Today's players make an excellent living and should appreciate those who grew the game before them. They should understand the great history the NBA has!

Not use their greed and idiotic attitudes to tarnish the league.

But once again, as I struggle to decide to go back and see an NBA game these days, which is sad because I've so many great memories with this sport, it's tough to get motivated with the millennials that don't appreciate how far the league has come which allows them to make a great living.

On December 27, 2018, former NBA player Roy Hinson appeared on the Sports Exchange.

We had a blast going down memory lane talking about the good old days compared to where the league is now.

There might be that rare instance when I invite an NBA guest on. 

And I mean rare only because it's our responsibility to cover all sports.

When the time comes and the drama goes away, then I'll watch more games on TV and attend more contests.

The league has to get me motivated again.


Perhaps, the only possibility is covering an occasional Detroit Pistons Game against the Miami Heat, by which time I would catch up with some old colleagues.

But unfortunately, the NDL isn't the game I was fortunate to cover throughout my Sports Media career.

All I can do at the present time is just read the news and nod my head.

Occasionally, I will listen to TNT's Charles Barkley because he generally says what's on my mind. Kudos to Barkley.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

He's a member of Detroit Sports Media, Co-host of the Sports Exchange with Peter Wein on the weinetwork.com which airs 5-7 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays and Founder of The South Florida Tribune.

These Cats Are Hungry!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

If this was a horse race, the results wouldn't even be close amongst the Florida NFL teams.

On August 24, we traveled up to Tampa and saw the Detroit Lions defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33-30 at Raymond James Stadium.


The Buccaneers entered the 2018 season without QB Jameis Winston, who will serve a three game suspension as a result of the personal conduct policy.

There is one word that describes the Miami Dolphins.

Dysfunctional.

During the off-season, Miami parted ways with Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh.

QB Ryan Tannehill has been unable to stay healthy the past couple of years while running back Jay Ajayi was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last season and played a key role in them winning the Super Bowl.

Let's talk about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This is a team which finished 3-13 in 2016 and had tarps in certain levels of the stadium to hide empty seats.

Gus Bradley was fired 14 games into the 2016 season and was replaced by Doug Marrone.

In his interim stint, Marrone compiled a 1-1 record and the team just looked much better.

Owner Shad Khan made his next big move hiring franchise icon Tom Coughlin to run the football operations.

Coughlin proceeded to remove the interim tag from Marrone and that move paid big dividends as the team finished 10-6 and advanced all the way to the AFC Championship Game on January 21, 2018.

New England trailed 20-10 when they began their rally.

It started when Tom Brady connected with Danny Amendola for nine-yards and a score with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 20-17.

The Jags were 2:48 away from reaching the Super Bowl losing to the Patriots 24-20 as Brady threw a four-yard TD pass to Amendola for the winning score.

Jacksonville led New England in total yards 374-344 as well as time of possession 35:08-24:52.

During the playoffs, QB Blake Bortles was making smarter decisions using his legs to avoid negative plays and also proved he could win shootouts as well.

I saw the Jaguars win an ugly 10-3 playoff game at home versus the Buffalo Bills.

Jacksonville did the unthinkable by not only beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-9 in Steel Town during the regular season, they pulled the trick again winning in the Division Playoff Round  45-42 also in Western Pennsylvania.

During the 2017 season, the Jaguars possessed an excellent defense and they were aided by the standout play of running back Leonard Fournette.

When you have a standout cornerback Jalen Ramsey shutting down opposing playmakers, this is an excellent foundation.

On Saturday, August 25, 2018 during Jacksonville's third preseason game, the Jaguars defeated the Atlanta Falcons 17-6.

The defense chased Falcons QB Matt Ryan all over the gridiron and the offense did what it needed to do to record the triumph.

Unfortunately for Jags wide receiver Marquis Lee, he suffered a season ending knee injury as a result of a low hit and was carted off the field.

In three of Jacksonville's four pre-season games, the Jags limited their opponents to 10 points or less and they won all those contests.

In week two, Jacksonville defeated the Minnesota Vikings on the road 14-10, I just mentioned the Atlanta game and in the finale against Tampa Bay on the road, they won 25-10.

What does pre-season mean?

In some cases nothing.

In 2008, the Detroit Lions finished with a 4-0 mark then went on to be the first 0-16 team in NFL History.

The Jaguars finished this pre-season 3-1 and based on what I've seen from this team thus far, this team will be playing like One Angry Cat prowling to get to a place where they nearly tasted "The Super Bowl."

During the off-season they gave Bortles a contract extension since he recorded two playoff wins.

In my opinion after seeing him for three years, all Bortles has to do is simply to a better job protecting the football and not committing the deflating costly turnover.

After the Falcons game, I asked Marrone what it was like to be the hunted instead of the hunter?

"I don't think this team has a different mindset. I think the stuff on the outside may be different," Marrone said. "Our mindset isn't different. I think this team has an edge about them. They're real close. One of the things I'm happy with is we do play complimentary football.

"They understand that we play as one and they have each others backs. They understand it takes a long time in this league before people believe you're a really good football team in my opinion when you're consistently good. Our players understand that. They push each other and we push them as coaches. They push us as coaches. When you have that, you have a chance.

"When you talk individually to a lot of guys on the team, the majority of them have a chip on their shoulder.

"I don't think that's bad at all."

The Jags defense once again proved why it's one of the best in the league in the teams' opener in the Big Apple during it's week one win against the New York Giants on September 9.

Jacksonville defeated the Giants 20-15.

Just like pre-season, the Jags held its opponent to a low point total.

Fournette left the game early due to a minor hamstring issue.

During the week, the team was cautious about his workload not taking any chances of any long term issues.

He will be a game time decision in Jacksonville's home opening rematch against the New England Patriots today at 4:25 pm in Northern Florida on CBS.

I expect Jacksonville's defense to play an important role in deciding the outcome of this contest.

For the record, Patriots QB Tom Brady is 8-0 all-time against the Jags.

The road to the Super Bowl for Jacksonville leads through New England.

This team knows that so Marrone, who I think is one of the most underrated coaches in the NFL, won't need any motivational speeches to get his players psyched up.

As I look at the Jaguars, this team reminds me of the Detroit Pistons during the Bad Boys Era during the mid 1980's and early 1990's.

The Pistons road to winning a pair of championships went through the Boston Celtics taking their lumps in the playoffs.

Jacksonville is dealing with the New England Patriots.

While Marrone is no Chuck Daly, the thing these men have in common is they worked with losing franchises before landing in good spots.

Marrone left a tough situation with the Buffalo Bills while Daly departed an awful situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

How can I not mention that Patriots Coach Bill Belichick bolted the Cleveland Browns for a second chance and he's made the most of it winning Super Bowls.

But as you cover a team for a couple years and see the progression during the past two years, it's safe to say that These Cats Are Hungry!

The Jags will get some National Television exposure as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing the Jaguars later this year after having left shoulder surgery which is slated for the first week of November.

But for now, it's safe to say that if their regular season performance mirrors their pre-season performance, then offensive coordinators from around the league will have to buy tons of Tylenol to figure out how to solve this potent defense.

As I mentioned before, as long as Bortles and Fournette are healthy and productive, this team has a punchers chance to be Super Bowl contenders and take that next elusive step.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of Detroit Sports Media.

Detroit Sports Shorts

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

It's so difficult to talk about every Major Headline both on the Metro Detroit Sports Scene as well as Nationally.

So from time to time a New Theme is being introduced today.

It's called Sports Shorts. There will be Detroit Sports Shorts and National Sports Shorts.

Today, I'm going to talk about My Hometown Detroit.

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Bill Bonds Tribute: Bill was My All-Time Favorite News Anchor in Detroit! Paired with Diana Lewis, this was one of the best anchor teams that I've ever seen including living in Major Areas such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, FLA, Tampa Bay, FLA, Phoenix, AZ and Charlotte, NC.

But what stands out about Bonds in my eyes was we used to spend time together at the Pistons games during the Pre and Post Bad Boys Era. We talked about life and basketball at dinner as well during halftime. He came across to me as down to earth and easy to get along with. We had Mutual Respect for one another and this showed in our conversations. I referred to him as a fellow colleague.

Bonds died at the age of 82 at his Bloomfield Hills, MI home on December 13, 2014 of a heart attack. I followed the tributes of Bill online and it just made me that much prouder when I was living in Metro Detroit knowing we had great memories together.

Rest In Peace Bill. When I return to the Palace to cover Pistons games in the future, it just won't be the same because someone will be missing. It's you Bill! God Bless. Now God can appreciate your candor as well as your ability to speak your mind.

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Gordie Howe: Things didn't look good for another Detroit Sports Icon. Gordie Howe has been suffering from dementia and had a major stroke on October 26, 2014 at his daughter's house in Texas. Things looked bleak for Mr. Hockey, who is now 86-years old.

Mr. Hockey needed to score one goal and it was in a country that didn't even know him. Mexico is known for having an excellent soccer tradition.

But this country gave the Hockey World hope that a stem cell procedure could make a difference and enable Mr. Hockey to hang around with us.

According to Howe's family, they described the treatment as neural stem cells injected into the spinal canal as well as mesenchymal stem cells administered by intravenous infusion.

These stem cell therapies haven't been approved by government regulators in Canada or the U.S.

Now that Gordie Howe's health has dramatically improved due to this procedure in Mexico, it usually takes one legendary name to increase awareness towards making progress to cure a disease.

Magic Johnson's HIV Virus which leads to Aids used to be a Death Sentence. Now Johnson's awareness has changed that perception just like Howe's situation could very well do the same.

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Mike Babcock continues to amaze me! The Red Wings currently have a six-game winning streak and are once again making a run to return to the playoffs. Babcock has the Red Wings in first place as of this post with a 28-11-9 record for 65 points in the Atlantic Division following a 5-4 road win over the Florida Panthers. Detroit plays at second place Tampa Bay (30-15-4, 64) on Thursday Night.

On April 8, 2014, Babcock earned his 414th career win as head coach of the Red Wings to surpass Jack Adams as the winningest coach in Detroit History.

On December 6, 2014, Babcock earned his 500th career win as a head coach becoming the second fastest in league history to do so. Only Hall of Famer, and Former Red Wings Coach Scotty Bowman reached the 500 win plateau faster.

It's no secret that Babcock will become a free agent after this season.

There have been rumors that the Toronto Maple Leafs would covet and try to hire him. But keep in mind that Babcock is a Smart Man!

He's won Gold Medals, a Stanley Cup, and he knows that the Maple Leafs have been a struggling franchise for years.

As of this post, Toronto has a 22-23-3 mark for 47 points. The Maple Leafs are in seventh place ahead of the Buffalo Sabres, whom are entrenched in the Atlantic Division basement.

Here's the bottom line.

Babcock will listen to what Toronto offers and don't be surprised if the Red Wings either match or increase that offer.

Babcock's decision will come down to what team has a better chance to win. The 51-year-old coach isn't looking for a rebuilding project. He knows he has a good young group of players as the Red Wings continue to retool.

Plus, he has an owner in Mike Illitch that has deep pockets to attract free agents and secure his younger players with contract extensions. It helps to have a brilliant GM in Ken Holland.

Should he keep coaching the Red Wings, his records behind the bench will never get broken!

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Max Scherzer is now the ace of the Washington Nationals. The one-time franchise which was the Montreal Expos spent $210 Million to lure him to the Nations Capital.

Rarely do the Tigers lose a free agent due to money. But after doing research on pitchers in their 30's that get these deals, they backfire for those organizations. They run into arm troubles which could lead to surgery due to wear and tear on their arms.

When you think of the fact that the New York Yankeees, Boston Red Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tigers weren't destinations for Scherzer, this gives Detroit justification as to why Scherzer is gone.

I don't blame the Tigers for not re-signing Scherzer.

He turned down a 6-year $144 Million offer last spring much to the frustration of Owner Mike Illitch. We're talking $24 Million per-year in an economically struggling area turning down this money. Even though Scherzer said he deferred half of his money in an attempt to lure other players and collect later, that's all well and good.

I could care less about the full page ad that Scherzer took out to thank the Tigers and fans. The Tigers were patient with his early struggles and he made a lot of money. He should be thankful.

It also helped that Scherzer had lots of run support in the Tigers line-up.

But the Tigers were smart that they traded for Tampa Bay Rays Ace David Price at the Trade Deadline.

I have a feeling after he gets comfortable at Pitcher Friendly Comerica Park the Tigers will sign him to an extension.

There could be other moves for President/GM Dave Dombrowski either before Spring Training, during the Regular Season leading up to the Trade Deadline.

In the end, Detroit will be fine and at least he's in the National League so the Tigers won't have to face him on a regular basis.

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The Lottery Pick which the Detroit Pistons lost to the Charlotte Hornets isn't haunting the team yet. Charlotte got the No.9 overall selection in a deal that past President Joe Dumars made. Noah Vonleh wears No.11 for the Hornets, which is the same number Isiah Thomas had in Detroit. They both played at Indiana, but that's where the similarities end.

Vonleh, 19, is a 6-10, 240 pound power forward has struggled this season due to injuries and has divided time with the NBA Developmental League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

He's currently averaging 1.9 points-per-game, 2.3 rebounds-per-game and 0.1 assists-per-game in eight games.

The Hornets are currently 19-26 and are currently in the eighth and final seed as of this post.

At least the Pistons don't have this trade hanging over them anymore.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.